History of Gregorian Chant, Secular Music, Renaissance, and Baroque Period

Gregorian Chant

The Gregorian chant is sacred music which is sung a cappella, that is, all the
singers in a choir of monks sing the same melody without accompaniment.
The goal of this chant was to teach the word of God to the faithful, therefore
the text was more important than the music. Latin was the language used
in these chants and the rhythm depended on the text.

Secular Music

Secular music was developed outside of the monasteries and was sung by
troubadours and jongleurs accompanied by musical instruments such as
the lute. These compositions had varied themes related to the interests of
day-to-day life. The troubadours were educated artists, poets or musicians and, in some
cases, from noble families

Renaissance

Music was very important and developed a lot during this period. It was
used as a vehicle to spread information at important events and in public
acts. Music was an important part of the education of cultured people.
The musical Renaissance began in what we know today as the Netherlands,
and spread to France, Italy, Germany and Spain until it became an
international style.
These are the main characteristics of Renaissance music: 
It is always polyphonic, which means that there are always many voices. 
There is always an equilibrium between the voices. One voice is never
emphasised more than another. 
The rhythm is regular and beats softly, except in dances. 
The lyrics are very important and the music is used to emphasise them.

Medieval music uses the voice as a fundamental component and the
instruments accompany to reinforce the voice. In the Renaissance,
instruments began to be more important and compositions of purely
instrumental music began to appear

Baroque

The Baroque period was the golden age of music. In the courts of Europe,
music became the protagonist of big social events. Each country adopted
a national music identity and gave up the international style of the
Renaissance.
The main characteristics of Baroque music are the following: 
The use of the technique called basso continuo, which is the use of a
bass line over which chords are built up. Chords provide the base for the
main melody. The harpsichord, organ or lute were used to play the basso
continuo. 
The use of accompanied melodies. The voice or an instrument played the
main melody while other instruments played the accompaniment.
The use of contrasts in dierent elements of music: in the rhythm, in the
tempo of each movement, or within the melodies.

The Baroque orchestra contained bowed string instruments and other
instruments that played the basso continuo such as the harpsichord. Also
woodwind, brass instruments or percussion instruments were included,
depending on the function of each specic composition.
Baroque orchestras had an average of twenty-five musicians.